I always suggest that new reloaders buy the manual published by the company they intend to use the most bullets from.
Hornady
Sierra
Nosler
would be high on my list.
As previously posted, especially regarding .308, do not mix different headspace cases when loading warm loads. 7.62x51mm Lake City and IMI (as well as other foreign military cases) cannot use .308 data safely. Many .308 starting loads are maximums when using 7.62x51mm brass.
Simply weighing resized, trimmed and unprimed cases will give you a generic ballpark reference as to where they stand on a continuum. Heavy cases need lighter powder charges.
I never start at minimum loads, unless I actually want a minimum load. I know every manual insists on this, start low and work up. I start slightly below the halfway mark and run the rounds over my chronograph to establish a baseline. If they are faster than predicted I know I won't be able to use full power loads. If they are slower than predicted, I still respect the published maximums.
The smaller the case, the smaller increments are needed when increasing powder charges. I have no problem increasing powder charges one whole grain (1.0) in a .300 Winchester Magnum. .5 grain in .308/.30-06, .3 grain in .223. Pistols need smaller increases.